Blog

People living with obsessive-compulsive disorder are encouraged to follow three general tips for effective self-management. They are: challenge the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours (this includes use of distraction skills, and resisting the compulsion), maintain high self-care (you may need to put your needs first a lot – this is NOT selfishness or self-centredness), and… Continue reading OCD: tips for self-management

In the 1960s, American neuroscientist Paul MacLean formulated the ‘Triune Brain’ model, which is based on the division of the human brain into three distinct regions. MacLean’s model suggests the human brain is organized into a hierarchy, which itself is based on an evolutionary view of brain development. The three regions are as follows: Reptilian… Continue reading The ‘Triune Brain’ theory by Neuroscientist Paul MacLean — an evolutionary perspective

Inattentional Blindness is the failure to notice an unexpected object in a visual display. Cognitive Psychology is an approach to understanding human cognition by observing behaviour of people performing cognitive tasks. It is concerned with the internal processes involved in making sense of our environment, and deciding what behaviour to be appropriate. These processes include… Continue reading Inattentional Blindness: What else are we missing?

What is meant by self-harm? Self-harm is any behaviour that involves the deliberate causing of pain or injury to oneself without the intention to end your life. Self-harm can include behaviours such as cutting, burning or hitting oneself, binge-eating or starvation, or repeatedly putting oneself in dangerous situations. It can also involve abuse of drugs… Continue reading Understanding self-harm, self-injury, and self-destruction

Stephen Porges, psychiatry professor and researcher, on the polyvagal theory he developed to understand our reactions to trauma: [Paraphrased] Polyvagal theory articulates three branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that evolved from primitive vertebrates to mammals. First, there is a system known as ‘freeze’, which involves death feigning or immobilisation. Second, the ANS has… Continue reading Polyvagal Theory and Trauma – Dr. Stephen Porges

In our previous article (read it here), we asked why men do not seem to express emotion as easily as women do. Was there some pathology, or should we just put the differences down to male-female tendencies? We identified Dr Ron Levant’s notion of “normative male alexithymia” as representative of one side of the controversy: namely,… Continue reading Men and Emotions: From Repression to Expression published by AIPC (2019)

Please click on the link for the article by BY ERIC LANGSHUR AND NATE KLEMP PHD

Marsha Linehan, the creator of Dialectical Behavior Therapy, gives four options for any problem that you face: Solve the problem, change your perception of the problem, radically accept the situation, or stay miserable. When we are overwhelmed by a life challenge, one way we might naturally respond is by defending our position. Perhaps, we’ll resort to an effective yet temporary coping strategy like denial,… Continue reading The Four Options for any Problem (Linehan, 1993)

When to Fake It Till You Make It (and When You Shouldn’t) Faking it for the right reasons can change you for the better. Here’s why. Posted Jun 27, 2016By Amy Morin One day, a client came to see me because she felt socially awkward. She knew that her inability to make small talk was… Continue reading There’s nothing ‘fake’ about ‘faking it until you make it’